


A is for Acromantula

by subtlelioness



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Acromantulas, Gen, Giant Spiders, Spiders
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-12
Updated: 2018-12-12
Packaged: 2019-09-17 02:32:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16966041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/subtlelioness/pseuds/subtlelioness
Summary: Set in the 1920s, a few years before the events of the Fantastic Beasts movies. This is the story of how Newt encounters each of the creatures in the Fantastic Beasts book, from Acromantula to Yeti. Each story is self-contained and a separate chapter.





	A is for Acromantula

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all, I've decided to write a short story for every creature in Newt's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them for a fun holiday challenge. I'm new to writing, so I appreciate constructive criticism and I'm currently looking for an editor (so let me know if you're interested). 
> 
> Also, if you have any ideas for any upcoming creatures, let me know! The next chapter will be about the Ashwinder.

Newt normally wasn't a fan of noodles, but he didn't want to refuse Budi. Budi was a tan Indonesian farmer who kept smiling and showing off his missing teeth. He'd met Budi a few hours ago, when Newt had just arrived at a small market in central Kalimantan. There, Newt had asked around for anyone who had lost livestock recently. The locals had pointed him towards Budi, a farmer who had insisted on inviting Newt to his home for lunch.

Budi had walked Newt around his property, showing off his prized herd of two dozen  Kambing Kacang goats. It was a quick walk because Budi only owned one or two acres of muddy grass surrounded by a beaten down wooden fence. The smell of goat dung was thick in the warm, humid air.

"These are the best goats in Kalimantan," Budi said, patting the rump of the closest goat. "Tasty, and very fat." 

The goats did indeed seem pretty stocky for their size.  

"And where do the goats sleep?" Newt asked.  

Budi pointed to the small wooden structure a few feet next to the house. The goat pen was made of wooden shipping pallets nailed together and painted a bright red. There wasn't a door; goats could walk in and out at any time. The No-Majs on Borneo apparently thought there weren't any major predators on the island. 

There was no trace of a struggle inside the pen. Newt kneeled and inspected the dry hay that lined the floor. No bloodstains, but a few short black hairs that stuck to his fingers and itched.

Newt had found exactly what he was looking for. 

Budi's house wasn't that much larger than the goat pen. The house smelled vaguely of incense and goat dung, and was furnished with plain furniture. Newt and Budi were in the central room of the house, sitting at a large wooden table. Budi's wife had brought out steaming portions of noodles and a pot of tea, then quietly retreated to the other room.

Newt had had to turn down requests to met Budi's youngest daughter three times already. He suspected Budi was trying to marry her off. 

"And how many goats have you lost in the last month?" Newt asked. He picked at the noodles on his plate clumsily. He still didn't quite have the hang of chopsticks. 

"Two, " said Budi. "Just a fraction of my immense herd, of course, but each goat is quite valuable. " The man puffed out his chest. "My oldest daughter's dowry was seven goats, with two breeding does and-"

"-Were they taken at the same time, or separately?" Newt said firmly. 

Budi leaned back. "On the same night, three days ago. Heard absolutely nothing. Fucking thieves." 

Newt nodded sympathetically. He took a sip of the watery, yet warm tea. 

Budi pointed outside and said, "I've been sleeping out by the goat shed every night since then with a knife. If they come again, I'll show them." He laughed. "But enough about me. What's your story? What's your job?" Budi leaned forward. 

Newt looked down at his plate. The noodles were thick and coated with a glistening sauce - sesame oil and soy sauce and something vaguely fishy. It reminded him of a dish he'd had in China a few weeks ago. There was some kind of grilled meat - chicken? - sliced on top as well. After chasing a slice of chicken around his plate a few times with his chopsticks, Newt finally managed to pick up the morsel and bring it to his mouth. 

He then realized Budi had been waiting for him to respond.

Newt swallowed quickly and stammered, "I'm a ma-, err, I'm a, I'm a zoologist. I study animals. " He set the chopsticks down. "And I'm terribly sorry, but I really must be going now. "

Newt thanked Budi for his time, picked up his leather suitcase, and walked into the rainforest. 

Budi watched the strange Englishman go, his leather shoes squishing through the mud. 

 

Newt picked his way through the dense rainforest. Everything was damp: the hot, muggy air, the leaves on the trees; even his own shoes were sodden with mud. The sounds of birds chirping and frogs croaking seemed muffed by the moisture in the air. As Newt walked, he often stopped to admire a particularly shiny beetle or retraced his steps to sniff the rich bark of a tree. A casual observer would probably think that the tall, British gentleman wearing a white collared shirt and grey slacks (it was so hot he'd stuffed the coat inside the briefcase long ago) was insane, or at the very least lost.

When Newt found a telltale white thread on a bush, he knew he was close. He kept walking. More and more gossamer threads appeared until finally, every tree, every shrub, and every inch of the ground was covered by a thick blanket of spider web.

"Prey does not usually come to us," a deep female voice boomed from somewhere on the right. "Who are you?" 

"Newt Scamander, " Newt said. He set down the briefcase with a clunk. "Who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?"

"Newt. I am Ningrat. The mother." Ningrat said. She paused, and then with relish, added "And I am glad that you shall feed my children."

The leaves rustled around him. Dozens of spiders - baby acromantulas, maybe 1-2 feet in diameter - began lowering themselves from the trees. Their black eyes glistened. As the spiders advanced, they clicked their pincers together in a sharp staccato rhythm. 

Newt didn't flinch. Despite the danger, he was fascinated. Acromantulas had been spotted for hundreds of years in Borneo, but no one had been able to document where or how they lived. The few that had been captured refused to talk to wizards.

"Ningrat, tell your children to stop. I came here to return one of your own." Just in case, Newt slide his wand into his hand and gripped it tightly.

The closest spider came within four feet of Newt before Ningrat responded. 

"Wait." she said. The spiders stopped moving immediately, although they continued to click frantically. 

Up close, the closest spider kind of looked like a Kyle, for reasons that Newt couldn't quite explain. Kyle, like his (her? how did one distinguish Acromantula genders?) siblings, was black, the size of a dustbin lid, and covered in thick black fur. He almost resembled a supersized tarantula, if it weren't for the larger spacing between his eyes. 

"What do you mean, one of our own?" Ningrat asked.

"Let me know show you," Newt said. "He's in my case." Newt kneeled on the web-covered earth, clicked his brown leather briefcase open, and reached inside. As he fumbled around, Ningrat took heavy, booming steps towards Newt. She emerged from the shadows, a glorious, fifteen foot Acromantula who was clearly the matriarch of this colony. One of her eyes had been removed long ago; she had a silver scar in its place. 

As Newt withdrew his arm from the case, Carlos scuttled to his shoulder. Newt had raised Carlos, after a panicked merchant had somehow found Carlos's egg in a shipment of bananas. 

"His name is Carlos," Newt said, still kneeling. "I came to bring him home." He gently stroked Carlos's thorax with one finger. 

Carlos still couldn't speak, but he clicked gently by Newt's ear. Reassuringly. 

Ningrat paused for a long time. She finally said, "You have done well. I will raise Carlos. Now go safely, Newt, and never return."

Carlos crawled down Newt's body and onto the ground. He clicked a few times at Newt's feet, then scuttled into the shadows.

Newt tucked his wand back into this pocket. He closed his case, grasped it by the familiar, well-worn handle, and Disapparated away from Ningrat, away from her colony in the dense heart of the Borneo rainforest, and away from Carlos. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
